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Aggressive behavior of dogs kept as companion animals: classification and influence of sex, reproductive status and breed
Contributor(s):: Peter L. Borchelt
Data were obtained from a total of 245 cases of aggressive-behavior problems in dogs kept as companion animals. Aggression involved barking, growling and biting behavior. For each case, a home visit of one to several hours yielded a description of the sequences of aggressive behavior and the...
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Animal welfare and its assessment in zoos
| Contributor(s):: The Zoos Forum
The zoo community considers animal welfare to be a matter of great importance. The EC Zoos Directive (1999/22/EC) provides that animals must be accommodated under conditions which aim to satisfy the biological and conservation requirements of the individual species and, in the UK, the Secretary...
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Can we live without a dog? Consumption life cycles in dog-owner relationships
| Contributor(s):: Tony Ellson
This article uses an observational study of dog ownership to explicate understanding of consumer behavior in the marketing of pet and pet-related products. A close examination of the relationship between dog and dog owner reveals more than metaphorical parallels in consumer behavior. Dog...
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Cat culture, human culture: an ethnographic study of a cat shelter
| Contributor(s):: J. M Alger, S. F Alger
This study explores the value of traditional ethnographic methods in sociology for the study of human-animal and animal-animal interactions and culture. Itargues that some measure of human-animal intersubjectivity is possible and that the method of participant observation is best suited to...
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Origins of fear of dogs in adults and children: The role of conditioning processes and prior familiarity with dogs
| Contributor(s):: Sharon Doogan, Glyn V. Thomas
One hundred adults and 30 children completed questionnaires to investigate fear of dogs. Dog fearful adults asked to recall the origins of their fear reported classical conditioning experiences more frequently than vicarious acquisition or informational transmission. Overall, however, there was...
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Owner-companion dog interactions: relationships between demographic variables, potentially problematic behaviours, training engagement and shared activities
| Contributor(s):: Pauleen Charmayne Bennett, Vanessa Ilse Rohlf
Many companion dogs occupy a privileged position in our society, living closely with human caretakers who go to great lengths to provide for their needs and desires. Others fare less well, being abandoned or killed, many because they are believed to exhibit behaviour problems. The aim in this...
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Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008
[House Report 110-901][From the U.S. Government Printing Office]This bill makes it illegal to possess, ship, transport, purchase, sell, deliver, or receive any horse with the intent that it be slaughtered for human consumption. The bill also makes it illegal to engage in the above conduct with...
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The Animal Welfare Act: An overview
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) enforces the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to protect certain animals from inhumane treatment and neglect. Congress passed the AWA in 1966 in response to public concern regarding stolen pets used in laboratory research. Since 1966, the AWA has been...
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Understanding dog-human companionship
| Contributor(s):: Michael J. Dotson, Eva M. Hyatt
This article reports a survey of 749 dog owners. The survey focuses on owners' interactions with their dogs. This research identifies seven underlying dimensions that comprise the construct of dog companionship. The dimensions include symbiotic relationship, dog-oriented self concept,...
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" I'm told I'm famous on the internet" - Henri the cat and the critical possibility of anthropomorphism
| Contributor(s):: Myers, C. R.
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"A gentle work horse would come in right handy": animals in Ozark agroecology
| Contributor(s):: Campbell, B. C.
Agricultural scientists now acknowledge the wisdom and practicality behind traditional (agro)ecological knowledge (TEK). Integration of TEK into contemporary organic agricultural systems is complicated, however, by the fact that agronomists, social scientists, and extension agents began...
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"An extension of me": handlers describe their experiences of working with bird dogs
| Contributor(s):: Corkran, C. M.
Studies describe the human-canine relationship as a long and complex one in which both parties have developed complementary physical skills and communication techniques. Current extensive exploration of the human-canine bond commonly examines the objective value of dogs to people, whether as...
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"Bark parks" - a study on interdog aggression in a limited-control environment
| Contributor(s):: Shyan, M. R., Fortune, K. A., King, C.
As limited-control dog parks become more popular, concerns arise about whether these parks encourage interdog aggression. Systematic observations made at 1 park in Indianapolis, USA over 72 h (between 1600 and 1830 h, 3-5 times a week) across 8 months (between March and November 2001) found that...
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"Before, he fought every day with the horse and with me": reducing violence in a Guatemalan community through a horse-handling program
| Contributor(s):: J.L. Gibbons, C.A. Cunningham, L. Paiz, K.E. Poelker, M.A. Montufar Cardenas
Community and family violence are endemic in Guatemala. We evaluated the effectiveness of a horse-handling program to reduce violent attitudes and aggressive behavior. Eighteen community members who worked with horses in their daily lives (16 men, 2 women, ages 15 to 58) participated in four...
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"Buddhist compassion" and "animal abuse" in Thailand's Tiger Temple
| Contributor(s):: Cohen, E.
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"Calm . . . Satisfied . . . Comforting": The Experience and Meaning of Rabbit-Assisted Activities for Older Adults
| Contributor(s):: Natalie Pitheckoff, Sara J. McLaughlin, Kate de Medeiros
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"Descubre tu potencial a través de los caballos" | Candy Rodríguez | TEDxRúaSanFroilán
| Contributor(s):: Candy Rodríguez
Los caballos contribuyen positivamente al desarrollo cognitivo, físico, emocional y social de las personas. A través de ellos, descubrimos nuestro potencial. Veterinaria, coach y especialista equina. Es la fundadora de “El Rincón de Finca El Carmen”, donde...
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"Do not choose as I do!" - Dogs avoid the food that is indicated by another dog's gaze in a two-object choice task
| Contributor(s):: Balint, A., Farago, T., Meike, Z., Lenkei, R., Miklosi, A., Pongracz, P.
Family dogs successfully follow human-given cues in a two-object choice test. However, whether this ability has any roots in dog-dog visual communication, has been seldom investigated. We designed a test where a video-projected, life-sized dog 'demonstrator' provided directional cues for...
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"Don't bring me a dog...I'll just keep it": understanding unplanned dog acquisitions amongst a sample of dog owners attending canine health and welfare community events in the United Kingdom
| Contributor(s):: Holland, K. E., Mead, R., Casey, R. A., Upjohn, M. M., Christley, R. M.
Understanding the factors that result in people becoming dog owners is key to developing messaging around responsible acquisition and providing appropriate support for prospective owners to ensure a strong dog–owner bond and optimise dog welfare. This qualitative study investigated factors...
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"Freedom from themselves" gendered mechanisms of control, power, and resistance in prison dog training programs
| Contributor(s):: Andrea Button
During the past twenty-five years, the number of prison programs in which inmates train dogs has increased rapidly. A lack of systematic studies to address the effects of these programs on staff and inmates has led to limited, anecdotal accounts of the impact of these programs on correctional...
